The D aily
Colleglan
Published independently by students at Penn State
Charge dropped
By Brendan McNally
COLLEGIAN STAFF V PITER
Prosecutors dropped a misde
meanor furnishing alcohol charge
against Alpha Tau Omega (ATO)
Tuesday in connection to Joseph
Dado's death leaving the frater
nity with one lingering misde
meanor charge that could see a
conclusion within a month.
ATO attorney Kathleen Yurchak
said prosecutors dropped a misde
meanor charge against the frater
nity for furnishing alcohol to Penn
State student Dado and three of
Elaine Meder-Wilgusm, owner of Webster's Bookstore Cafe, 148 S. Allen St., speaks with supporters at a meeting Wednesday night
Store seeks public donations
By Paul Osolnick
COt LEG , L , „[ 11!)
The shelves at Webster's
Bookstore Café are emptying, and
there are no plans to refill them
at least not at 128 S Alen St
The bookstore held a meeting
last night as its owner informed
patrons and supporters how they
can help in the store's effort to
move to a new location.
Elaine Meder-Wilgus. owner of
Webster's, addressed a group of
about 60 patrons regarding the
stores future plans.
"Webster's is not the building,
the stained ceiling and crappy
tile," Meder-Wilgus said. "It's the
people that fill it."
Meder-Wilgus said she asked
the landlord for an extension of
Students learn about new eco-program
By Zach Geiger and David Bodin
COLLEGIAN STAFF
Freshmen who attended the
first Eco-Rep Program informa
tional session yesterday at the
Pollock Cultural Lounge got a
taste of what the program's goals
are and the expectations of the
Eco-Reps.
The Eco-Rep is a student that
will live in East Halls and be paid
to promote behaviors that are
environmentally responsible,
Program Coordinator Milea
Perry said.
The program is looking to fill in
28 positions open to freshmen liv
ing in East Halls in the fall, Perry
said.
"We want to have a Penn State
culture of being environmentally
conscientious," Perry said.
Perry, who works in the
Campus Sustainability Office,
began the presentation by asking
students what they are passion
ate about, specifically related to
the environment. Perry then
shared her "Erin Brockovich
Experience" with the group of five
students in attendance about her
own experiences working in a
community near a toxic chemical
plant.
his friends on the
night of his death.
Judge Thomas
Kistler did not
offer a verdict on
the second charge
of misdemeanor
unlawful acts rela
tive to liquor, malt Dado
and brewed bev
erages and licens
es, but is expected to issue a writ
ten decision in as early as a
month, Yurchak said.
The second charge, which
Kistler has not yet ruled on, does
time to conclude business in a
less constricted manner—only to
hear no
"I am taking personal responsi
bility for that hole I got into,"
Meder-Wilgus said. 'And I will get
myself out."
But the main attempt to raise
capital for a possible future book
store will go through Cogster, a
local business that helps resi
dents in State College. Bellefonte
and Philipsburg invest in small
businesses in the community.
Cogster opened on July 8, 2009
and currently works to raise
money for 51 businesses in the
State College area, Cogster presi
dent Steve Bisbee said.
Bisbee said supporters of
Webster's can give the bookstore
a certain amount of money a
Perry then explained the goal
of the Eco-Rep Program, which is
starting up for the first time at
Penn State during the fall semes
ter.
- Hopefully what you learn
you'll take with you and use that
in your residence halls," Perry
said.
Students watched a brief video
and observed a Power Point pres
entation by Perry. They were also
briefed on what an Eco-Rep is
expected to accomplish in the
program—requirements that are
challenging and character-build
ing, Perry said.
Some of the benefits of the pro
gram include leadership experi
ence, a close relationship with
peers, going green, and working
to decrease electricity use and
waste on campus, Perry said.
Keri Mahoney (freshman-com
munications) saw the information
meeting on stall stories and
decided to attend the session.
Not having enough recycling
bins on campus is a problem,
Mahoney said.
"I don't think Penn State is
doing enough about the lack of
recycling bins," Mahoney said.
One of the attendees, Roni Pasi,
is now more interested in apply-
n't specify a person needs to know
ingly furnish the alcohol to be con
victed, according to court docu
ments.
No more evidence can be sub
mitted at this point, she said, and
the case will continue only
through briefs written and submit
ted by both parties.
Dado, of Latrobe, Pa., had a
blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
of 0.169 percent more than
twice the legal limit for a 21-year
old to drive, police said.
Yurchak said she expected the
furnishing charges against ATO to
be dropped because the facts of
the case cleared the fraternity
from any wrongdoing on that
Dado visited ATO, 321 E. count.
The two-day search for the
Penn State student concluded
when Dado, 18, was found dead in
a stairwell between the Steidle
and Hosler Buildings on Sept. 21,
2009.
minimum of $2O and in turn
receive goods from the store upon
reopening.
The Webster's account on
Cogster will open at 10 a.m. today.
Bisbee said. Patrons interested in
assisting the bookstore can go to
cogster.com. he said.
Bisbee said a $2O investment
would yield a credit of $4O of
books, coffee and other products
at Webster's that will be returned
to the investor in increments to be
determined by the cafe and book
store. The credit is dependent on
the store finding a new location,
Bisbee said, and is non-refund
able.
"This is simply a way to give
money to a local business owner
who needs it." Bisbee said, "and
get money back."
ing for the program after the ses- about the environment," Pasi
sion and said the requirements (freshman-environmental
don't deter her. resource management) said.
"I've always been interested See ECO-REP. Page 2.
M Antonio Silas
Milea Perry, a student program coordinator in the Office of Campus
Sustainability, discusses an the Eco-Rep program initiative.
in Dado case
Fairmount Ave., and Phi Gamma
Delta (Fiji), 319 N. Burrowes Rd.,
before falling to his death across
the s xeet from the Fiji house,
police said.
Bisbee said Cogster does
receive an "arrangement fee" of
10 percent of the total funds
raised. If a supporter gives $2O,
Cogster receives $2, Webster's
receives $lB. and the supporter
receives $4O worth of Webster's
items over a period of time, he
said.
Meder-Wilgus said she would
like to collect 540.000 to $50,000 in
capital before opening the book
store at the new location.
With no hopes of maintaining
the current location and the end
of July deadline moving closer.
Meder-Wilgus said her concerns
are for the future of Webster's and
making the transition seamless.
Meder-Wilgus said she has
talked with several landlords in
See WEBSTER'S, Page 2.
psucollegian.com
@dailycollegian
"That's simply what the facts
were from day one," she said.
"Fraternities are made to be fall
guys in these situations."
ATO National Fraternity did not
return calls for comment.
County prosecutor Nathan
Boob did not return calls for com
ment by press time Wednesday.
ATO was originally charged
under both the Pennsylvania
Criminal Code and the
Pennsylvania Liquor Code laws
with furnishing alcohol to minors,
according to court documents.
See DADO, Page 2.
PSU
stands
firm
After receiving a letter
asking them to
denounce study find
ings, Penn State stands
by research policies.
By Megan Rogers
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
The Responsible Drilling
Alliance (RDA) has asked Penn
State to denounce research
done by Penn State professors
on the Marcellus Shale natural
gas deposit, but university offi
cials said they have no plans to
do so.
In early June, the alliance,
which strives to understand the
issues raised by natural gas
drilling, sent a letter to Penn
State President Graham
Spanier and William Easterling,
dean of the College of Earth and
Mineral Sciences. The letter
asked Penn State to denounce
research on the economic
impact of Marcellus Shale.
The research which was
conducted by Penn State profes
sors Seth Blumsack and Robert
Watson and retired Penn State
professor Tim Considine
determined that in 10 years, the
Marcellus Shale resource could
create 200,000 new jobs and
increase gains in state and local
See RESEARCH, Page 2.
Author
backs
THON
By Anita Modi
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
To celebrate the 20th anniver
sary of his first novel, a Penn
State alumnus has released his
book online with
100 percent of
proceeds
going directly to
Four
Diamonds Fund.
Paul Levine,
Class of 1969,
released
Speak for the Levine
Dead" again
this time, as an Ebook selling for
$2.99 per copy.
The Four Diamonds Rind is
supported in part by Penn
State's Interfraternity/Panhell
enic Dance Marathon. Both the
fund and THON raise money for
pediatric cancer patients treated
at Penn State Hershey
Children's Hospital in Hershey,
Pa.
As long as the Ebook is avail
able to customers online, its pro
ceeds will be dedicated toward
the Four Diamonds Fund,
Levine said.
"I intend for it to be a long
term donation," he said. "It com
bines my love for Penn State
with the respect I have for what
the students are doing for chil
dren's cancer."
Curran McCready, overall
donor and alumni relations
See AUTHOR, PG ge 2.